Talk is free to the public with registration.

Optional historical Harvey House dinner is $25 per person (includes talk & dinner)

Explore women’s roles in railroads, Kansas, and US history with Dr. Michaeline Chance-Reay over an optional historical recreation of a Harvey House dinner set within the original Harvey House.

Dr. Michaeline Chance-Reay will present The Harvey Girls: Women’s Roles in Railroads, Kansas, and US History. Her talk will focus on the mythology of the Harvey Girl which  looms large in Kansas history and across the western United States. The Fred Harvey Company, concessionaire along the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway offered young women employment opportunities as waitresses and tour guides. These women played a role in the economic and cultural history of Kansas and the American Southwest. This talk includes stories of women employed by the company as well as its founder, Fred Harvey, who lived in Leavenworth and opened his first lunchroom depot along the line in Topeka. 

Dr. Chance-Reay is Professor Emeritus of Women's Studies and Education at Kansas State University.

Dinner will be provided by the Florence Historical Society and will be a recreation of a typical Harvey House meal that includes: Fred Harvey Cole Slaw, Relish Plate, Roast Beef and Mashed Potatoes, Santa Fe Asparagus (asparagus with cheese sauce), Hot Rolls, Fruit and Cheese Plate, Warm Cobbler with  Ice Cream, Tea, Milk, or Coffee.

Flint Hills Counterpoint’s Speaker Series is made possible from the gracious support of Humanities Kansas, Humanities Kansas Speakers Bureau Program, Kansas Creative Arts and Industries Commission, and the New York Foundation of the Arts’ AWAW EAG program.